Sought By God

Turn with me to Genesis 18. I want to look at Genesis 18, but probably not for the reason that it was written. Oh, so you are going to take scripture out of context? No. You are getting ready to make scripture mean something that it doesn’t mean? No. It’s just that there so much that we can learn from this passage.

One of the things that I think was an unintended consequence of the Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriage, we see as a result of that, and that was in 2015, there has been an increase of incivility in this country ever sense. Incivility is on the rise. We understand the primary part of that decision and how it made, for all practical purposes, homosexuality acceptable in this country.

When you legalize sin, you are pushing God farther and farther away from how you are living as a country. And it is painfully obvious to me that Satan is working overtime to get the United States of America to look like Sodom and Gomorrah. He’s working overtime. And he’s doing a really good job of it ladies and gentlemen.

This really struck when I listen to a minister who lives in Florida. Pastor He talked about how young children are the most susceptible to being taught things. He talked about their innocence. He talked about how they will hear someone say something and agree with it. And I thought about Florida, where he’s located, and how the governor took a stand against teaching about the LGBTQ+ lifestyle in kindergarten through the third grade. Such teaching has no place for children that age and, more importantly, it promotes a lifestyle that is in disagreement with God’s Word.

This message is not about the LGBQT+ agenda, but I had to preface it because of what I’m about to read. In a recent Pew Research study the percentage of teenagers who identified as transgender or gender fluid or so other way than their biological birth, exceeded 20% for the first time in the history of this nation. Ladies and gentlemen, this is astounding. And the only way that this could happen is that they were taught this as they were coming through the school system. They were taught to question who they were biologically and then they also they taught to ask themselves how do you feel about who you are.

We all should know that this was an intended consequence of Satan getting homosexual marriage legalized in this country. This was an intended consequence because now he has people who are in our school system promoting this, pushing that. And it breaks my heart that many a school systems are forbidding parents to know that this is happening.

It’s easy for Barry to get bent out of shape when I hear things like this. It’s easy for me to want to find someone who living that way and promoting their lifestyle, especially to children, to find them beat the tar out them. But I also know that that is the worst thing to Barry could do. That is the absolute worst thing the best thing Barry can do. The best thing I can do is lift them up to the Lord. That’s the best thing I can do.

I want us to see an example of how this can happen, how we can lift those practicing this lifestyle, and we see it in Genesis 18. It’s the story of the Lord and two angels coming down and spending some time with Abraham and Sarah. They let them know that in a year’s time they’re were going to have a son. After this, as the three men are getting ready to leave, the Lord turns to Abraham to talk about His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah.

We’re going to begin in verse 16, but before we do that, lets read what it says about Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 13:13. “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.” They were wicked before the Lord exceedingly. In other words, they knew what they were doing and they knew God didn’t approve but didn’t care. They were wicked exceedingly.

Now let’s pick the record up in Genesis 18:16 and we’re going to read through verse 26.

(16) And the men rose up (the Lord and the angels) from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

(17) And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

(18) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Verse 19 – the first four words: “For I know him”

God knew Abraham as much as He could a person who is not born again. There are at least two chapters in the New Testament devoted to Abraham – Romans 4 and Galatians3 – devoted to Abraham and how it was his faith that made him righteous.